Preparation of chemiluminescent vinyl halide or vinylidene halide polymer structures

ABSTRACT

A plasticized vinyl halide or vinylidene halide polymer structure useful in a chemiluminescent lighting device is disclosed wherein said structure is prepared from vinyl halide or vinylidene halide polymers. The plasticizer is preferably a dibutyl phthalate solution of a chemiluminescent oxalate and a fluorescer that is incorporated into the structure. Addition of a hydrogen peroxide activator solution to the structure produces the glow of chemical light. The structure has good strength, flexibility, porosity and absorbance of the activator solution. A method for the preparation of the structure is also disclosed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The production of devices capable of emitting light through chemicalmeans in well known in the art. Chemiluminescent lightsticks, forexample, are taught by U.S. Pat. No. 3,539,794. Other configurations ofdevices for emitting chemical light have also been the subject of manyU.S. patents, see, for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,350,553; 3,729,425;3,808,414; 3,893,938 and 4,814,949. A recent patent, U.S. Pat. No.4,635,166 has also issued directed to an emergency light containing areflector. The above-mentioned patents are hereby incorporated herein byreference.

The devices of the prior art, while satisfying some specific needs, havegenerally not received wide-spread commercial acceptance because theyfail in one or more critical areas. The devices of U.S. Pat. No.3,350,533, for example, must be activated by air which requires somemeans for accessing the air, which means are subject to failure such asby leaking etc. Other devices have failed commercially because of theirinability to emit light over the required period of time, while othersemit poor quantities of light, do not concentrate the light in acentralized area, require too much chemical to be commerciallyattractive from an economic standpoint, do not emit light over a uniformarea, etc.

Accordingly, industry is continually on the lookout for chemiluminescentdevices which overcome most, if not all, of the deficiencies mentionedabove, which devices are commercially attractive to the consumer and arerelatively simply manufactured.

Rauhut et. al. combined the oxalate and fluorescer components of achemiluminescent reaction mixture with a single polyvinyl chloride resinand a plasticizer and formulated a polymer film composition. The filmproduced a bright yellow-green chemiluminescent light when placed in asolution of hydrogen peroxide and sodium salicylate as disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 3,816,325, which is also incorporated herein by reference.While this invention is operative, the single resin polyvinyl chloridesheet has deficiencies in its uniformity, strength, flexibility,porosity, absorbance and light development. The present inventioncomprises an absorptive material that is made in a reproducible fashionand has good strength, flexibility porosity, absorbance and lightdevelopment that is not known in the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is disclosed herein a porous, flexible.[., plasticized.].structure comprising A) a non-particulate phase comprising a vinylhalide or vinylidene halide polymer having a molecular weight of about100,000 to about 500,000 which constitutes about 0.5 to about 15.0weight percent of .[.the structure.]. .Iadd.total polymer.Iaddend., B)an agglomerated particle phase comprising either 1) about 85.0 to about99.5 weight percent .Iadd.of total polymer .Iaddend.of vinyl halide orvinylidene halide polymer particles having a diameter of from about 25to about 125 microns and a molecular weight of from about 50,000 toabout 120,000, or mixtures of said particles, or 2) about 45 to about98.5 weight percent .Iadd.of total polymer .Iaddend.of vinyl halide orvinylidene halide polymer particles having a diameter of from about 25to about 125 microns and a molecular weight of from about 50,000 toabout 120,000, or mixtures of said particles and about 1 to about 40weight percent .Iadd.of total polymer .Iaddend.of vinyl halide orvinylidene .Iadd.halide .Iaddend.polymer particles having a diameter offrom about 130 to about 225 microns and a molecular weight of from about100,000 to about 225,000 and C) a plasticizer comprising a solventsolution of a chemiluminescent compound and, optionally, a fluorescer,dispersed throughout both said phases.

The vinyl halide or vinylidene halide polymers useful in the productionof the novel structures of the present invention are well known in theart. They include polyvinyl halides such as polyvinyl chloride andpolyvinyl fluoride; polyvinylidene halides such as polyvinylidenechloride and polyvinylidene fluoride; copolymers of vinyl halides and/orvinylidene halides with hydrocarbons such as ethylene, propylene etc. inamounts of up to about 25%, by weight, based on the total weight ofpolymer preferably 5-15%, by weight, same basis; copolymers of vinylhalides such as vinyl chloride/vinyl fluoride copolymers; copolymers ofvinylidene halides such as vinylidene chloride and vinylidene fluoride;copolymers of vinyl halides and vinylidene halides such as vinylchloride and vinylidene chloride; terpolymers of vinyl halides andvinylidene halides such as terpolymers of vinyl chloride, vinyl fluorideand vinylidene chloride; mixtures of the above vinyl halide polymers andvinylidene halide polymers; mixtures of vinyl halide or vinylidenehalide polymers and hydrocarbon polymers such as polyvinyl chloride andpolyethylene in amounts up to about 25%, by weight, based on the totalweight of polymers, of hydrocarbon polymer, preferably about 5-15%, beweight, same basis.

Homopolymers and copolymers of vinyl chloride are preferred.

Useful plasticizer solvents are selected from dialkyl esters of phthalicacid, ethylene glycol ethers, citric acid esters or alkyl benzoates suchas ethyl benzoate, butyl benzoate etc. and are present in amounts offrom about 0.5 parts to about 3.0 parts of plasticizer per part of vinylhalide or vinylidene halide polymer. A preferred plasticizer solvent isdibutyl phthalate and it is preferably used in a ratio of about 1.4 partto about 1.0 part of polymer.

Useful chemiluminescent compounds are selected from3-aminophthalhydrazide, 2,4,5-triphenylimidazole,10,10'-dialkyl-9,9'-biacridinium salts9-chlorocarbonyl-10-methylacridinium chloride, andbis(substituted-phenyl) oxalate is bis(2-nitrophenyl) oxalate,bis(2,4-dinitrophenyl) oxalates. Useful oxalates include those suchbis(2,6-dichloro-4-nitrophenyl) oxalate, bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate, bis(3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenyl) oxalate,bis(2-methyl-4,6-dinitrophenyl) oxalate,bis(1,2-dimethyl-4,6-dinitrophenyl) oxalate, bis(2,4-dichlorophenyl)oxalate, bis(2,5-dinitrophenyl) oxalate, bis(2-formyl-4-nitrophenyl)oxalate, bis(pentachlorophenyl) oxalate,bis)1,2-dihydro-2-oxo-1-pyridyl) glyoxal, bis-N-phthalmidyl oxalate,bis(2,4,5-trichloro-6-carbopentoxyphenyl) oxalate,bis(2,4,5-trichloro-6-carbobutoxyphenyl) oxalate orbis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) oxalate,bis(2,4,5-trichloro-6-carbopentoxyphenyl) oxalate,bis(2,4,5-trichloro-6-carbobutoxyphenyl) oxalate andbis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) oxalate. The chemiluminescent compound isadded as a solution with the plasticizer solvent during the productionof the structure, and is present in an amount of about 10 weight percentto about 15 weight percent of the plasticizer solution. The preferredchemiluminescent compound is bis(2,4,5-trichloro-6-carbopentoxyphenyl)oxalate at about a 12% concentration in the plasticizer solvent,preferably dibutylphthalate.

Useful fluorescers are the substituted anthracenes such as9,10-bisphenylethynylanthracene,1-chloro-9,10-bisphenylethynylanthracene or2-chloro-9,10-bis(paramethoxyphenyl)anthracene and are used at aconcentration of about 0.1 weight percent to about 2.0 weight percent,preferably about 0.1 weight percent to about 0.3 weight percent, of theplasticizer solution, and is preferably added therewith during thepreparation of the structure.

The structures discussed above are prepared by the novel process of thepresent invention which comprises forming a uniform slurry of the resinparticles in a plasticizer, forming the slurry into a shape and heatingthe shaped slurry to a temperature of from about 80° C. to about 150° C.for from about 5 to about 50 minutes.

There is also disclosed a preferred process of making the structureswherein a small portion, i.e. from about 0.5 to about 3.0 weight percentof vinyl halide or vinylidene halide polymer particles are firstslurried alone in the plasticizer, optionally, containing thefluorescer, and the slurry is heated from about 80° C. to about 150° C.for about 5 minutes to about 20 minutes to obtain a solution to whichthe remaining vinyl halide or vinylidene halide polymer particles areadded and mixed to form the uniform slurry. The uniform slurry is thenformed, preferably into sheets of about 0.1 mm to about 10 mm inthickness, preferably about 1.0 mm to about 3.0 mm in thickness, andsaid sheets are then heated to about 80° C. to about 150° C. for about 5minutes to about 50 minutes, preferably at about 110-130° C. for about10-40 minutes or such that excess fusion does not occur. The structuremay be shaped, for example, by casting, molding, extruding or blowmolding the slurry, etc.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The desirable characteristics of the chemiluminescent polymer structuresof the present invention are the following:

(1) Reasonable strength and flexibility.

(2) Good absorptivity so the chemiluminescent reaction can be initiatedby contacting the PVC structure with an activator solution.

(3) Uniform surface appearance.

(4) The structure must not interfere with the chemiluminescencereaction.

(5) Good shelf-life.

(6) The chemiluminescent structure should be translucent.

These properties of the polymer structure are determined in large partby the following factors:

(1) The amount of chemiluminescent solution absorbed into the polymerstructure.

(2) The particles size distribution and molecular weight distribution ofthe polymer particles used.

(3) The rate of heating and the heating time employed during curing.

(4) The amount of polymer that becomes dissolved into thechemiluminescent solution.

The structures of the present invention contain one or more componentsof the chemiluminescent reaction. The components of the chemiluminescentreaction are incorporated into the structure by any number of means butthe preferred method is to dissolve the components of thechemiluminescent reaction in a solvent that swells the vinyl halide orvinylidene halide polymer, and the preferred solvent for this process isdibutylphthalate. The amount of chemiluminescent solution used to swellthe polymer varies between about 5 and 90 weight percent; the preferredamount is between about 25 and 80 weight percent, most preferably, about55-60 weight percent. Any chemiluminescent reaction that is compatiblewith the matrix material of the sheet may be used; the preferredchemiluminescent reaction being the peroxy-oxalate reaction with thepreferred oxalate ester being a carbopentoxyphenyloxalate. Preferredfluorescers for this chemiluminescent reaction are substitutedanthracenes. The structure is capable of absorbing an activator solutionin order to start the chemiluminescent reaction. It is necessary for thestructure to absorb at least one equivalent of the activator solution,but it is preferred that the structure absorb three equivalents of theactivator solution. Alternatively, the components of thechemiluminescent reaction can be incorporated into the structure afterthe structure is formed by absorbing the components into the pores ofthe structure by merely soaking the structure in a solution of thecomponent.

In order to prepare an absorptive, porous, flexible, strong vinyl halideor vinylidene halide polymer structure with good surface appearance, ithas been found that a mixture of two, or preferably three, vinyl halideor vinylidene halide polymer powders selected from fine, medium andlarge particle size powders, where at least one of the powders is a fineparticle powder, is required Major deviations from the above describedprocess yields structures that are not capable of effectively absorbingactivator solution or are physically not acceptable i.e. they are flakyor too fused to be useful.

Whereas there are many uses of the structures of this invention that areobvious to those skilled in the art, in particular said structures areuseful for a chemical lighting device wherein the structure is used in asealed compartment of a transparent plastic package and wherein anactivator solution of hydrogen peroxide and, for example, sodiumsalicylate catalyst are incorporated into a separate sealed compartmentthereof. The compartments may be arranged so that the means used toseparate the compartments can be broken or removed so that the activatoris allowed to flow into the structure to generate chemical light byactivating the contained chemiluminescent compound and fluorescer, whilestill retaining both within the package.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following examples are set forth for purposes of illustrations onlyand are not to be construed as limitations on the present inventionexcept as set forth in the appended claims. All parts and percentagesare by weight unless otherwise specified.

The following abbreviations are sometimes used to indicate chemicalstructures, analytical tests and other repeatedly used items.

PVC: Polyvinyl Chloride

Fine Particle PVC: A dusty, white powder of medium viscosity PVC resinhaving a molecular weight of about 303,000 and an average particle sizeof 0.20-1.5 microns.

Medium Particle PVC: A white powder of PVC resin produced by masspolymerization having a molecular weight of about 98,000 and an averageparticle size of 70-75 microns.

Large Particle PVC: A white powder of PVC resin having a molecularweight of about 205,000 and an average particle size of 150 microns.

CPPO: Bis(2,4,5-trichloro-6-carbopentoxyphenyl) oxalate, the oxalateester used in the chemical light reaction.

BPEA: The fluorescer used in the green chemical light reaction is9,10-bis(phenylethynylanthracene).

The fluorescer used in the yellow oxalate solution is1-chloro-9,10-bis(phenylethynylanthracene).

BPEN: The fluorescer used in the blue oxalate solution is2-chloro-9,10-bis(p-methoxyphenyl) anthracene.

Activator: A dimethylphthalate solution of hydrogen peroxide and sodiumsalicylate.

Spotmeter: Instrument used to measure the light output intensity of achemical light reaction over time. This instrument is made by KollmorgenCorporation, Model UBD1/4.

TLOP: Total light output.

Glow Time: The time required to emit 90% of the total light generated bythe structure.

TOTAL LIGHT OUTPUT MEASUREMENTS

The following method is the standard test used herein for measuringtotal light outputs of samples. The sample is prepared and cut into1"×21/2" pieces. These test pieces are placed inside 13/8"×33/4", 1.5mil thick, polypropylene bags. The openings of these bags are then heatsealed just above the contained sample, leaving a tab of polypropyleneat what was the open end of the polypropylene bag for hanging it infront of the spotmeter. The test pieces are activated by injecting theactivator solution into the polypropylene bags with a syringe. Theamount of activator used depends on the thickness of the sample. Usually1.5 ml. of activator is required for a 3-4 mm thick sample. The bags arehung vertically during testing and the syringe needle is inserted intothe bag near the top.

The spotmeter is focused on the center of the bag at a distance of threeinches to one foot. Up to eight samples can be tested simultaneously byplacing them on an eight position carousel holder. The carousel andspotmeter are under computer control allowing for both data acquisitionand control of the sample positioned in front of the spotmeter.

The samples are activated 10 sec. apart and the data acquisition started2 min. after the first sample is activated. The computer is set tochange samples every 10 sec. The run duration and maximum spotmeterscale depend on the concentration of catalyst in the activator solution.The usual settings for activator are 6 hr. duration and 0-199 ft. lm (aspotmeter setting of 10¹ for green and yellow test samples, and aspotmeter setting of 10⁰ for blue test samples).

The surface appearance while glowing, as well as, the total lightoutput, the glow time, the mechanical strength, and the absorptivitymust be considered in the optimization of a chemiluminescent product.Variations in catalyst concentration in the activator solution cause theglow time of activated structures to vary between 30 min. and 6 hr. Thebest light outputs are obtained at glow times of about 4 hr. Activationof the structures requires about 0.2-0.25 part of activator solution perpart of structure. The brightness of the structure depends on itsthickness. Without a reflective support, the brightness increases withincreasing thickness. The brightness of a thick structure can beduplicated with a thinner structure that has a reflective backing. Agood working thickness is about 3-4 mm with a reflective backing facingthe front of the structure.

EXAMPLE A Oxalate Solution Preparation

Dibutylphthalate (864 parts) is added to a suitable dry vessel that hasbeen purged with nitrogen and fitted with an overhead stirrer,thermocouple thermometer, nitrogen inlet adapter and heating mantle.This solvent charge is heated to 50° C. Fluorescer is added and themixture is stirred for 30 min. while the temperature is maintained at50° C. CPPO (133 parts) is added and the solution is stirred at 50° C.for an additional 2 hours. The mixture is allowed to cool to roomtemperature and filtered under a nitrogen atmosphere through a mediumfrit sintered glass funnel.

The oxalate formulations for application in the structures are shown inthe table below.

    ______________________________________                                        Color       Formulations                                                      ______________________________________                                        Blue        12 wt % CPPO. 0.2 wt % BPEN                                       Green       12 wt % CPPO. 0.15 wt % BPEA                                      Yellow      12 wt % CPPO. 0.25 wt % CBPEA                                     ______________________________________                                    

The amounts of the fluoroscers and CPPO are adjusted to take intoaccount the relative purities of the materials so that the activecomponents of the oxalate solution will be present in the amounts shownin the table above.

EXAMPLE 1

Fine particle size PVC is sifted through a fine wire screen to removelarge particles. The fine particle size PVC (10 parts) is thenthoroughly mixed with a small amount of the oxalate solution of ExampleA to form a thick paste. The thick paste is slowly added to theremainder of 268 parts of the oxalate solution with vigorous agitation.A nitrogen atmosphere is maintained over the slurry so as to protect itfrom atmospheric moisture and the slurry is heated rapidly to 100°-110°C. in about 5-10 minutes and maintained at this temperature for 10-15minutes. The PVC dissolves and the resultant solution becomes moreviscous. The solution is cooled to 50°-60° C. and 270 parts of oxalateare added with stirring. 288 Parts of medium particle size PVC and 86.1parts of large particle size PVC are added through a powder funnel. Theslurry becomes very thick and is stirred manually with a spatula into asmooth mixture.

90 Parts of the mixture are poured into a 5×8 inch glass-bottomed form,heated in an oven at 110°-120° C. for 10 minutes, removed from the ovenand allowed to cool to room temperature. The cooled structure is easilypealed from the form and cut into samples for testing. The structure isabout 4 mm thick. Addition of the activator solution of Example B,below, results in the production of chemiluminescent light.

EXAMPLE B ACTIVATOR SOLUTION

An activator solution is prepared by stirring together 81.4 parts ofdimethyl phthalate, 13.3 parts of t-butyl alcohol, 5.29 parts of 90%aqueous hydrogen peroxide and 0.043 part of sodium salicylate untilcomplete solution occurs.

EXAMPLE 2

Structures are prepared by slurrying together 14 parts of oxalatesolution and varying amounts of fluorescer with 10 parts of a PVCparticle mixture of 2.0 parts of large particle PVC, 7.5 parts of mediumparticle PVC and 0.5 part of fine particle PVC. Each slurry is baked inan oven at 120° C. for 10 minutes, and the result structure is cooled toroom temperature and cut into 1×3 inch strips which are then sealed inpolypropylene bags. The structures are activated by injecting 1.6 partsof activator solution of Example B into the bag and mixing. Theactivated structures in the bags are placed in front a spotmeter at adistance of 3 inches. Data is collected beginning two minutes afteractivation. The results are set forth in Table I, below.

                  TABLE I                                                         ______________________________________                                        COLOR   FLUORESCER (WT %) TLOP (FT-L-HR)                                      ______________________________________                                        YELLOW  0.25              71.1                                                YELLOW  0.30              67.9                                                YELLOW  0.35              73.5                                                GREEN   0.15              47.9                                                GREEN   0.20              46.3                                                BLUE    0.07              7.09                                                BLUE    0.11              8.87                                                BLUE    0.14              9.40                                                BLUE    0.20              10.08                                               BLUE    0.25              13.51                                               ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 3 TLOP vs CPPO Concentration

Structures are prepared as described in Example 2. The oxalate solutionsused in this example contain varying amounts of CPPO. The fluorescerconcentrations are 0.1 weight percent BPEN for the blue oxalate, 0.11weight percent BPEA for the green oxalate, and 0.26 weight percent CBPEAfor the yellow oxalate. The structures are activated and the TLOPmeasured, as described above. The results are shown in Table II, below.

                  TABLE II                                                        ______________________________________                                        COLOR       CPPO (WT %) TLOP (FT-L-HR)                                        ______________________________________                                        YELLOW      8           39.6                                                  YELLOW      11          46.2                                                  YELLOW      15*         71.1                                                  YELLOW      17          66.8                                                  GREEN       4           8.98                                                  GREEN       7.8         15.2                                                  GREEN       12          27.4                                                  GREEN       15*         26.2                                                  BLUE        3.7         2.35                                                  BLUE        7.7         6.47                                                  BLUE        11.7        8.87                                                  BLUE        14.2*       7.80                                                  ______________________________________                                         *The CPPO slowly precipitates out of this oxalate solution.              

*The CPPO slowly precipitates out of this oxalate solution.

EXAMPLE 4 TLOP vs Oxalate:PVC Ratio

Structures are prepared by slurrying together varying amounts of yellowfluorescer oxalate solution with PVC powder (10 parts) directly in asuitable vessel. The PVC powder mixture is composed of large particlesize PVC (2.0 parts), medium particle size (7.5 parts) and fine particlesize PVC (0.5 part). These slurries are baked in an oven at 120° C. for10 min. The baked PVC is cooled and cut into 1×3 inch strips which thenare sealed in polypropylene bags. The strips are activated by injecting1.6 parts of activator into the polypropylene bag. The bags are placedin front of the spotmeter at a distance of 3 inches. Data collectionfrom the spotmeter is begun 2 min. after activation. The results of thisstudy are shown in Table III, below.

The light output increases and then levels off at a ratio of about1.4:1. The structure is strong and does not crumble during or after thebaking stage of the preparation. When lower oxalate/PVC ratios areemployed, the resultant structures are flaky and cannot be handled.Higher oxalate/PVC ratios result in structures that are over plasticizedand not very absorptive of the activator solution.

                  TABLE III                                                       ______________________________________                                                        OXALATE/PVC    TLOP                                           ACTIVATOR (PARTS)                                                                             RATIO (WT:WT)  (FT-L-HR)                                      ______________________________________                                         9              0.9:1          28.2                                           10              1.0:0          29.2                                           11              1.1:1          31.1                                           12              1.2:1          30.8                                           13              1.3:1          34.8                                           14              1.4:1          40.7                                           15              1.5:1          38.6                                           17              1.7:1          38.9                                           ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 5 TLOP vs STL Thickness

Structures are prepared from yellow fluorescer oxalate solutions asdescribed in Example 1. The thickness of the structures is controlled byusing molds of different area and varying the amount of slurry used. Themolds, weights of slurry used, and the resulting thickness of thestructure after baking are shown in Table IV.

                  TABLE IV                                                        ______________________________________                                        SLURRY WEIGHT                                                                 (PARTS)       MOLD       THICKNESS (MM)                                       ______________________________________                                        10            90 mm dish 1.3                                                  45            5 × 8 inch                                                                         1.9                                                  15            90 mm dish 2.3                                                  67.5          5 × 8 inch                                                                         2.9                                                  20            90 mm dish 3.4                                                  90            5 × 8 inch                                                                         3.7                                                  25            90 mm dish 4.2                                                  35            90 mm dish 5.1                                                  40            90 mm dish 7.0                                                  ______________________________________                                    

The structures are cut into 1×21/2 inch pieces, activated with theactivator solution of Example B, and their TLOP measured. The amount ofactivator used is in proportion to the thickness of the structure. Theresults are shown in Table V.

                  TABLE V                                                         ______________________________________                                        STL PAD       BRIGHTNESS                                                      THICKNESS (MM)                                                                              (FT-L)      TLOP (FT-L-HR)                                      ______________________________________                                        1.9           57.5        36.0                                                2.9           68.1        41.4                                                3.4           59.0        44.4                                                3.7           --          56.0                                                4.2           62.6        51.9                                                5.1           69.6        66.6                                                7.0           93.3        78.8                                                ______________________________________                                    

The TLOP of the structures is also measured for those of the samethickness; with and without reflective aluminum foil backing. Theresults are shown in Table VI.

                  TABLE VI                                                        ______________________________________                                                  WITH OR                                                             THICKNESS WITHOUT      BRIGHTNESS  TLOP                                       (MM)      FOIL BACKING (FT-L)      (FT-L-HR)                                  ______________________________________                                        1.9       with         70.2        46.1                                       1.9       without      57.5        36.0                                       2.9       with         96.7        61.6                                       2.9       without      68.1        41.4                                       3.4       with         62.1        57.1                                       3.4       without      59.0        44.4                                       3.7       with         --          63.7                                       3.7       without      --          56.0                                       ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 6 Catalyst Concentration Studies

A series of tests is performed on the yellow, green, and blue structuresto determine the effect of 20 catalyst concentration in the activator onthe TLOP and glow time. The glow time is taken to be the time periodfrom activation until 90% of the possible light output has been givenoff. The structures are prepared in the same way as those described inExample 1. The 1×2 inch samples are sealed in polypropylene bats andactivated by injecting 1.5 ml of the activator into the bag. Thecatalyst (sodium salicylate-NaSal) concentration in the activator isvaried. The light output is measured with the spotmeter at a distance ofone foot from the samples. Table VII sets forth the results.

                  TABLE VII                                                       ______________________________________                                        Parts NaSal TLOP (FT-L-HR)                                                                              GLOW TIME                                           ______________________________________                                        YELLOW STL                                                                    0.009       57.3          436                                                 0.019       64.6          267                                                 0.029       63.1          158                                                 0.043       57.3          95                                                  0.050       57.3          85                                                  0.062       48.1          65                                                  0.071       41.4          57                                                  0.082       40.1          44                                                  0.087       39.6          39                                                  GREEN STL                                                                     0.009       43.0          330                                                 0.019       47.4          217                                                 0.029       43.3          119                                                 0.043       42.3          80                                                  0.050       41.6          90                                                  0.062       39.4          74                                                  0.071       38.9          62                                                  0.082       35.5          44                                                  0.087       34.4          42                                                  BLUE STL                                                                      0.009       8.6           412                                                 0.019       10.0          324                                                 0.029       9.4           209                                                 0.043       9.3           111                                                 0.050       9.1           108                                                 0.062       8.2           79                                                  0.071       9.5           52                                                  0.082       8.6           38                                                  0.087       7.6           36                                                  ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 7 Activator Absorption Studies

Three different oxalate-PVC mixtures are prepared that vary in theamount of fine particles PVC used in the PVC part of the formulation.Yellow fluorescer-oxalate solution is used in a ratio of 1.4:1 (wt/ wt)with the PVC mixtures shown in the following table.

    ______________________________________                                        PVC Particle Size                                                             FORMULATION  FINE      MEDIUM     LARGE                                       ______________________________________                                        No. 1        2.6 wt %  75 wt %    22.4 wt %                                   No. 2        3.8 wt %  75 wt %    21.2 wt %                                   No. 3        5.7 wt %  75 wt %    19.3 wt %                                   ______________________________________                                    

The fine particle PVC is dissolved in the oxalate solution at 100° C.The resultant solution is cooled to room temperature and the remainingmedium and large PVC is added. Portions of 24 parts of these slurriesare poured into molds and baked in an oven at 120° C. for 10 min. Theresulting structures are cooled and cut into 1 inch squares. The dryweights of these squares are recorded. These samples are placed in avessel containing activator solution at room temperature. The weightgain of these samples is taken at 1,2,3,5, and 10 min. intervals. Theresults are shown on Table VIII titled Activator Absorption where partsof activator absorbed per part of sample is measured against time. Thestandard commercial chemical lightstick contains 2.8 parts of activatorand 7.8 parts of oxalate solution. On a weight of active chemical basis,this corresponds to the absorption of 0.21 part of activator per part ofsample. It can be seen from Table VIII that the samples obtained fromPVC formulation NO. 1 absorb the required amount of activator in about 2min. The other formulations, No. 2 and No. 3, do not absorb the neededamount of activator.

                  TABLE VIII                                                      ______________________________________                                        ACTIVATOR ABSORPTION                                                          No. 1        No. 2         No. 3                                              2.6% Fine PVC                                                                              3.8% Fine PVC 5.7% Fine PVC                                      Time     Wt.     Time      Wt.   Time    Wt.                                  Min.     Gain    Min.      Gain  Min.    Gain                                 ______________________________________                                        1        0.13    1          0.007                                                                              1       0.025                                2        0.21    2         0.09  2       0.025                                3        0.24    3         0.10  3       0.027                                5        0.25    5         0.11  5       0.030                                ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 8 Environmental Moisture Exposure Studies

Structures are made by mixing large (13.75 parts), medium (29.7 parts),and fine (2.75 parts) particle PVC, and yellow fluorescer oxalatesolution (63.8 parts) in a blender. The resulting slurry is poured intoa rectangular form and baked in an oven at 120° C. for 10 min. Thestructure is allowed to cool and cut into 1×3 inch strips. Approximately50 of these test strips are made by repetition of this procedure. Thesesamples are suspended from a "line" in the dark. Also in the dark areapproximately 50 open vials containing samples of the same yellowfluorescer oxalate solution used in the preparation of the structures.The temperature and humidity are monitored. The relative humidityaverages around 55% and the temperature varies between 20°-25° C. TheTLOP of the structures and lightsticks made from the oxalate stored inthe open vials, are taken about once a week. These light outputexperiments are conducted by taking a random sample of three of thestructures and sealing them in polyethylene bags. These bagged samplesare placed three inches in front of the spotmeter and activated byinjecting 1.6 ml. of high activator into the bag. Three lightsticks arealso prepared from the oxalate solution that was stored in the openvials. These lightsticks are prepared with ampoules of the sameactivator solution that is used to activate the bagged samples. Theamount of oxalate and activator used in these lightsticks is 7.8 partsand 2.8 parts, respectively. The lightsticks are also placed threeinches in front of the spotmeter and data collection is started twominutes after activation. The average TLOP of the three bagged samplesand the three lightsticks at different exposure times are shown in TableIX, below.

                  TABLE IX                                                        ______________________________________                                        EXPOSURE TLOP LIGHTSTICK TLOP STRUCTURE                                       (WEEKS)  (FT-L-HR)       (FT-L-HR)                                            ______________________________________                                        0        111.3           43.2                                                 1        100.1           44.3                                                 2        92.7            41.7                                                 3        71.6            40.1                                                 4        77.4            41.3                                                 5        70.1            37.4                                                 6        69.2            38.0                                                 8        54.9            34.9                                                 10       14.4            --                                                   12        9.7            18.7                                                 ______________________________________                                    

It is apparent that the light output of the PVC structure samples decaysmore slowly than the light output of the exposed oxalate solution. It isnecessary, however, to protect the structures with a moisture barrierduring storage in order to maintain their shelf life.

EXAMPLE 9 Fluorescent Light Exposure Studies

Yellow light emitting structures are prepared from oxalate containing 12parts of CPPO and 0.25 part of CBPEA. Green light emitting structuresare prepared from oxalate containing 12 parts of CPPO and 0.15 part ofBPEA and blue light emitting structures are prepared from oxalatecontaining 12 part of CPPO and 0.2 part of BPEN. The structures used inthese tests are cut into 1 ×2 inch strips and sealed in polypropylenebags. The bagged samples are placed under a fluorescent light fixturefitted with two F40/CW, cool white, 40 watt, fluorescent lamps mount81/4 inches above the samples. The samples are turned over every morningand evening. The average TLOP of three samples is taken at successivelylonger time intervals. The samples are placed one foot in front of thespotmeter and activated by injecting 1.5 parts of activator into thebag. Table X sets forth the results.

                  TABLE X                                                         ______________________________________                                        EXPOSURE TIME (HR)                                                                              TLOP (FT-L-HR)                                              ______________________________________                                        YELLOW                                                                         0                68.0                                                         6                47.6                                                        22                40.3                                                        47                33.4                                                        77                27.9                                                        144               25.4                                                        GREEN                                                                          0                44.7                                                         6                39.8                                                        24                36.7                                                        48                32.9                                                        72                30.1                                                        168               26.4                                                        BLUE                                                                           0                8.19                                                         6                8.42                                                        24                7.34                                                        48                7.29                                                        ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 10 (COMPARATIVE) Absorbance of Monoparticle Structures

This example illustrates the different absorptivities of structuresprepared from PVC powders with different particle sizes and differentmolecular weights. The structures are prepared by slurrying together 10parts of a dibutylphthalate solution of oxalate ester and fluorescer asin Example 1 with 10 parts of the PVC powder to be tested. The resultingslurries are placed in molds and baked in an oven at 120° C. for 10 min.Square pieces are cut from the cooled structures. The initial weight ofthe pieces is recorded. The pieces are soaked in activator solution asin from Example 1 until their weight gain is constant. The particlesize, average molecular weight, parts of activator absorbed per part ofstructure and the physical appearance of the structure are shown inTable XI.

                                      TABLE XI                                    __________________________________________________________________________                    PARTS OF                                                             AVERAGE  ACTIVATOR  APPEARANCE                                         PARTICLE                                                                             MOLECULAR                                                                              PER PART   OF                                                 SIZE   WEIGHT   OF STRUCTURE                                                                             STRUCTURES                                         __________________________________________________________________________    0.2-1.5                                                                              303,000  0.05       tough, highly                                      microns (A)                plasticized                                        70-75   98,000  0.28       smooth sur-                                        microns (B)                face, friable                                      120    104,000  0.45       rough surface,                                     microns (C)                fragile                                            150    205,000  0.62       bumpy surface,                                     microns (D)                very fragile                                       __________________________________________________________________________

Larger particle size gives structures that are more porous andabsorptive. The highly absorptive structures are crumbly and friable.The less absorptive structures are very tough and flexible. Thus, it isclear that structures of the desired properties do not result when usingonly single PVC particles regardless of their size or molecular weightas shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,816,325.

EXAMPLE 11

The following example illustrates the use of combinations of differentPVC powders to prepare chemiluminescent structures. In some of theseformulations, a portion of the PVC powder is dissolved in thechemiluminescent solution prior to adding the rest of the PVC powder andcuring. Four different PVC powders are used as referred to as A, B, C,and D in Example 10.

Five different formulations are prepared. All of these formulations usethe chemiluminescent solution of Example 1. Formulation No. 1 isprepared by dissolving 1.6 parts of PVC powder A in 87.5 parts of thechemiluminescent solution at 100° C. for 15 min. To this cooled solutionare added 60.9 parts of PVC powder B. Formulation No. 2 is a slurry of46.9 of PVC powder B and 15.6 parts of PVC powder D in 87.5 parts of thechemiluminescent solution. Formulation No. 3 is prepared by dissolving1.6 parts of PVC powder A in 87.5 parts of the chemiluminescent solutionat 100° C. for 15 min. To this cooled solution are added 46.9 parts ofPVC powder B and 14 parts of PVC powder C. Formulation No. 4 is preparedby dissolving 20.3 parts of PVC powder A in 1096 parts of thechemiluminescent solution at 100° C. for 15 min. To this cooled solutionare added 586 parts of PVC powder B and 175 parts of PVC powder D.

Formulation No. 5 is prepared by dissolving 1.6 parts of PVC powder A in87.5 parts of the chemiluminescent solution at 100° C. for 15 min. Tothis cooled solution are added 60.9 parts of PVC powder D. A structureis made from each of these formulations by pouring 84.5 parts of slurryinto a square mold and curing in an oven at 120° C. for 10 min. Theabsorbency of each of the resultant structures is measured by soaking aone inch square pice in activator solution until it no longer gainsweight. The ratio of the weight gain to the initial weight of the testpiece is shown in Table XII, below, along with a description of thephysical appearance of the structure.

                  TABLE XII                                                       ______________________________________                                                      PARTS OF                                                                      ACTIVATOR                                                                     PER PART OF  APPEARANCE                                         FORMULATION NO.                                                                             STRUCTURE    OF SHEET                                           ______________________________________                                        1             0.22         smooth surface,                                                               good strength                                      .sup.  2C     0.25         slurry settles                                                                quickly, slightly                                                             flaky surface                                      3             0.33         smooth surface,                                                               good strength, can                                                            be folded without                                                             breaking, slightly                                                            stretchy                                           4             0.35         appearance similar                                                            to sheet from for-                                                            mulation No. 3                                     .sup.  5C     0.68         poor strength,                                                                very flaky surface                                 ______________________________________                                         C = Comparative                                                          

EXAMPLE 12 (COMPARATIVE)

The following example further illustrates the utility in using a varietyof different PVC resins as the dissolved PVC in the formulation. Threedifferent formulations are prepared. All of these formulations use thedubutylphthalate chemiluminescent solution plasticizer of Example 1.Formulation No. 6 is prepared by dispersing 1.6 parts of PVC powder D in87.5 parts of the chemiluminescent solution. The dispersed PVC powder isdissolved in the chemiluminescent solution by heating to 100° C. for 15min. After cooling the solution, there are added 46.9 parts of PVCpowder B and 14 parts of PVC powder D. Formulation No. 7 is prepared bydissolving 1.6 parts of PVC powder C in 87.5 parts of thechemiluminescent solution, as described above. A slurry of this solutionis made by adding 46.9 parts of PVC powder B and 14 parts of PVC powderD. Formulation No. 8 is prepared as described above by dissolving 1.6parts of PVC powder B in 87.5 parts of the chemiluminescent solution.Again a slurry is made from this solution by adding 46.9 parts of PVCpowder B and 14 parts of PVC powder D. A sheet of chemiluminescentmaterial is made from each of these formulations by pouring 84.5 partsof the slurry into a square tray and curing in an oven at 120° C. for 10min. The absorbency of each of these sheets is measured by soaking a oneinch square piece of the sheet in the activator solution until it nolonger gains weight. The ratio of the weight gain to the initial weightof the test piece is shown Table XIII, below, plus description of thephysical appearance of the structure.

                  TABLE XIII                                                      ______________________________________                                                      PARTS OF                                                                      ACTIVATOR                                                                     PER PART OF  APPEARANCE                                         FORMULATION NO.                                                                             STRUCTURE    OF STRUCTURE                                       ______________________________________                                        6C            0.33         textured (orange                                                              peel) surface,                                                                strong, stretchy,                                                             can be folded                                                                 double, flaky when                                                            cut                                                7C            0.37         smooth surface,                                                               breaks when folded                                                            double, strong,                                                               stretchy, flaky                                                               around edges                                       8C            0.33         same as formula-                                                              tion No. 7                                         ______________________________________                                         C = Comparative                                                          

Strips (1×3 inch) are cut from the above samples. These strips aresealed in polypropylene bags. The chemiluminscent reaction is started byinjecting 1.6 parts of activator solution into the polypropylene bag.The light intensity from these strips is measured with a photometerfocused at the center of the strip. The light intensity is integratedover time to give the total light output (TLOP) in units of foot lamberthours. These light outputs are given for each formulation below.

    ______________________________________                                        FORMULATION NO.  TLOP (FT-L-HR)                                               ______________________________________                                        6                31.6663                                                      7                30.3903                                                      8                36.4072                                                      ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 13

The following example illustrates the results of using mixtures ofdifferent types of PVC powders in preparing sheets of chemiluminescentmaterials. In this example, the PVC powders are simply stirred into aslurry with the chemiluminescent solution. None of the PVC powder isdeliberately dissolved into the chemiluminescent solution prior tomaking the slurry. A variety of different PVC powder mixtures are madefrom PVC powders A, B, and D of Example 10. These different PVC powdersmixtures are slurried with varying amounts of a chemiluminescentsolution and baked in an oven at 120° C. for 10 min. The followingresults are observed.

1) PVC powder A behaves as a binder for the structure. Less than 0.5weight percent of PVC powder A gives flaky, crumbly structures. Over 15weight percent of PVC powder A gives very tough structures which are notabsorbant. The preferred range is about 0.5 to about 3.0, weightpercent.

2) PVC powder B acts as a filler material. It is a moderate binder whennot initially dissolved into the chemiluminescent solution, and it is amoderate absorber.

3) PVC powder D is a very good absorbent, but a very poor binder whennot initially dissolved into the chemiluminescent solution.

EXAMPLE 14 Curing Time and Temperature

This example illustrates the effects of different curing times andtemperatures on the absorptivity and TLOP of the chemiluminescentstructure. All are prepared from Formulation No. 4 of Example 11. TableXIV, below, show the curing times, curing temperatures, and physicalappearance of the sheet.

                  TABLE XIV                                                       ______________________________________                                        TEMP    TIME        APPEARANCE OF SHEET                                       ______________________________________                                         90° C.                                                                        10 min      smooth surface, reasonable                                                    strength                                                   90° C.                                                                        15 min      smooth surface, good                                                          strength                                                  120° C.                                                                        30 min      smooth surface, strong                                    150° C.                                                                         5 min      very strong, tough, flex-                                                     ible, slightly over                                                           plasticized                                               150° C.                                                                        10 min      slightly translucent, very                                                    strong tough, over plast-                                                     icized*                                                   150° C.                                                                        20 min      translucent, very strong                                                      and strong and tough,                                                         highly plasticized*                                       ______________________________________                                         *Comparative                                                             

The absorptivities and light outputs are measured for each of thesestructures by the methods described above. The results of each of thesemeasurements are shown in Table XV, below.

                  TABLE XV                                                        ______________________________________                                                             PARTS OF                                                                      ACTIVATOR                                                                     PER PART                                                                      OF            TLOP                                       TEMP (°C.)                                                                       TIME (MIN) STRUCTURES    (FT-L-HR)                                  ______________________________________                                         90       10         0.27          36.3930                                     90       15         0.30          34.5938                                     90       30         0.32          34.8413                                    120       10         0.35          37.8190                                    150        5         0.17          22.8411                                    150       10         0.02           6.4400                                    150       20         0.02           1.6309                                    ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLES 15-24

The procedure of Example 1, unless otherwise specified, is followedexcept that different polymer formulations are used. The polymers arespecified below. In each instance, similar results are observed.

15. Polyvinylidene chloride.

16. Copolymer of vinyl chloride and ethylene (80/20).

17. Copolymer of vinylidene chloride and vinyl fluoride (50/50) (largeparticles only).

18. Polyvinyl fluoride (fine particles only). (Example 2 procedurefollowed)

19. Copolymer of vinylidene chloride and propylene (90/10). (Example 4procedure followed).

20. Copolymer of vinyl chloride and vinyl fluoride (95/5) (mediumparticles only).

21. Copolymer of vinyl chloride and vinylidene chloride (75/25).

22. Mixture of polyvinylchloride and polyvinylidene chloride (50/50).

23. Terpolymer of vinyl chloride, vinyl fluoride and vinylene chloride(85/10/5).

24. Mixture of polyvinylchloride and polyethylene (75/25).

We claim:
 1. A porous, flexible structure comprising A) anon-particulate phase comprising a vinyl halide or vinylidene halidepolymer having a molecular weight of about 100,000 to about 500,000which constitutes about 0.5 to about 15.0 weight percent of .[.thestructure.]. .Iadd.total polymer.Iaddend., B) an agglomerated particlephase comprising either 1) about 85.0 to about 99.5 weight percent.Iadd.of total polymer .Iaddend.of vinyl halide or vinylidene halidepolymer particles having a diameter of from about 25 to about 125microns and a molecular weight of from about 50,000 to about 120,000, ormixtures of said particles, or 2) about 45 to about 98.5 weight percent.Iadd.of total polymer .Iaddend.of vinyl halide or vinylidene halidepolymer particles having a diameter of from about 25 to about 125microns and a molecular weight of from about 50,000 to about 120,000, ormixtures of said particles, and about 1 to about 40 weight percent.Iadd.of total polymer .Iaddend.of vinyl halide or vinylidene halidepolymer particles having a diameter of from about 130 to about 225microns and a molecular weight of from about 100,000 to about 225,000and C) a plasticizer comprising a solvent solution of a chemiluminescentcompound and, optionally, a fluorescer, dispersed throughout both saidphases.
 2. A structure according to claim 1 wherein said agglomeratedparticle phase constitutes polyvinylchloride resin particles having adiameter of from about 25 to about 125 microns and a molecular weight offrom about 50,000 to about 120,000, or mixtures of said particles.
 3. Astructure according to claim 1 wherein said agglomerated particle phaseconstitutes polyvinylchloride resin particles having a diameter of fromabout 25 to about 125 microns and a molecular weight of from about50,000 to about 120,000, or mixtures of said particles andpolyvinylchloride resin particles having a diameter of from about 130 toabout 225 microns and a molecular weight of from about 100,000 to about225,000.
 4. The structure of claim 1 wherein said solvent is selectedfrom dialkyl esters of phthalic acid; ethylene glycol ethers; citricacid esters and alkyl benzoates and is present in amounts of from about0.5 part to about 3.0 parts per part of resin.
 5. The structure of claim1 wherein said solvent is dibutyl phthalate.
 6. The structure of claim 1wherein said solvent is dibutyl phthalate and is present in an amount ofabout 1.4 parts per 1.0 part of resin.
 7. A structure of claim 1 whereinthe chemiluminescent compound is selected from 3-aminophthalhydrazide;2,4,5-triphenylimidazole; 10,10'-dialkyl-9,9'-biacridinium salts;9-chlorocarbonyl-10-methylacridinium chloride,bis(1,2-dihydro-2-oxo-1-pyridyl) glyoxal and bis(substituted-phenyl)oxalates.
 8. The structure of claim 7 wherein thebis(substituted-phenyl) oxalate is bis(2-nitrophenyl) oxalate,bis(2,4-dinitrophenyl) oxalate; bis(2,6-dichloro-4-nitrophenyl) oxalate,bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) oxalate; bis(3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenyl)oxalate; bis(2-methyl-4,6-dinitrophenyl) oxalate;bis(1,2-dimethyl-4,6-dinitrophenyl) oxalate; bis(2,4-dichlorophenyl)oxalate; bis(2,5-dinitrophenyl) oxalate, bis(2-formyl-4-nitrophenyl)oxalate; bis(pentachlorophenyl) oxalate; bis-N-phthalimdyl oxalate;bis(2,4,5-trichloro-6carbopentoxyphenyl) oxalate;bis(2,4,5-trichloro-6carbobutoxyphenyl) oxalate orbis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) oxalate.
 9. The structure of claim 8 whereinthe chemiluminescent compound isbis(2,4,5-trichloro-6-carbopentoxyphenyl) oxalate.
 10. The structure ofclaim 1 wherein the fluorescer is present and is selected from9,10-bisphenylethynylanthracene; 1-chloro-9,10-bisphenylethynylanthracene and2-chloro-9,10-bis(paramethoxyphenyl)anthracene.
 11. The structure ofclaim 10 wherein the fluorescer is present in a concentration of about0.1 weight percent to about 2.0 weight percent of the plasticizersolution.
 12. The structure of claim 1 having on one surface thereof, areflecting surface facing the structure.